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Valerie Hu

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Valerie Wailin Hu
Alma materUniversity of Hawaiʻi, California Institute of Technology
Known forAutism-related research
ChildrenOne son
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry, biological psychiatry, functional genomics
InstitutionsGeorge Washington University Medical School
ThesisStructure-function studies on cytochrome c oxidase. An investigation into the nature of the metal sites in cytochrome c oxidase using x-ray absorption spectroscopy. An investigation into the lipid factors affecting protein activity and respiratory control in reconstituted cytochrome c oxidase membranes. (1978)

Valerie Wailin Hu is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at George Washington University, where she studies autism biomarkers.[1]

Education

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Hu has a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi (1972) and a PhD from Caltech (1977);[2] she conducted postdoctoral research into membrane biochemistry and immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles.[3]

Research

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In her research, she classified autistic children into subgroups based on their Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised scores, and, as a result, found single nucleotide polymorphisms which, she says, could allow autism to be diagnosed with over 98% accuracy.[4][5] Specifically, Hu's research has demonstrated that levels of two proteins produced by genes which showed changes in DNA methylation were reduced in the brains of autistic children relative to controls. Based on this finding, Hu has proposed that the use of drugs which block the chemical tagging of these genes may be a useful treatment for autism.[6][7][8] An additional topic of Hu's research has been her discovery that the gene RORA that may be under positive regulation by androgens, leading to a buildup of additional testosterone which may contribute to the male bias of autism.[9][10][11][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Valerie Hu". George Washington University. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Faculty Directory: Valerie Hu". School of Medicine and Health Sciences. George Washington University. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013.
  3. ^ Hu, Valerie (22 April 2010). "Beyond Genetics". Autism Speaks blog. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  4. ^ Hamel, Brant (December 2011). "A genomics approach toward understanding autism". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  5. ^ Hu, V. W.; Addington, A.; Hyman, A. (2011). Kashanchi, Fatah (ed.). "Novel Autism Subtype-Dependent Genetic Variants Are Revealed by Quantitative Trait and Subphenotype Association Analyses of Published GWAS Data". PLOS ONE. 6 (4): e19067. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...619067H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019067. PMC 3083416. PMID 21556359.
  6. ^ Shumaker, Laura (12 April 2010). "A blood test for autism? A drug to reverse it??". SFGate. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Study: Autism may be amenable to treatment". United Press International. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Autism effects may be reversible". The Times of India. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  9. ^ Anderson, Lisa (2013). "Researcher Discovers New Regulatory Autism Gene". Neuroscience Research. BTNRC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  10. ^ Jabr, Ferris (17 February 2011). "Faulty testosterone cycle may explain male autism bias". New Scientist. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  11. ^ Weaver, Janelle (19 July 2011). "Why Autism Strikes More Boys Than Girls". Scientific American. 22 (3): 11. doi:10.1038/scientificamericanmind0711-11b. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  12. ^ Rowan, Karen (18 February 2011). "Testosterone may bump autism rates in males". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
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